Gerard sickels



UNITED STATES PATENT Ormea;

GERARD SIOKELS, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO HARRY' B. WOOD, OFSAME PLACE.

SELF-LEVELING' BERTI-l.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 255,397, dated March 21, 1882.

Application tiled January 9,1852. (No model.)

To all whom tt may concern Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, haveinvented certain Improvements in Self-LevelingBerths and other Structures, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has for its object to provide improved means for supporting a berth or other structure upon a navigable vessel so that to said structure will always maintain an approximately level position.

The invention consists in the combination of a platform or support pivoted so as to tilt in any vertical plane, a berth or other structure adapted to slide both laterally and longitudinally on said support,and a bar or rod pivoted at one end to the deck or other fixed part of the vessel below the berth, and having at its upper end a bearing in the berth, and at its 2o center an intermediate bearing in the tilting frame, said bar supporting the platform and berth, so that they will maintain a level position by gravitation, as I will now proceed to describe and claim.

Of the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, Figure l represents a top plan view of a berth and its supporting devices embodying my invention. Fig. 2 represents a longitudinal section on line x or, Fig.

3o 1. Fig.3 represents a section` on line .r y, Fig.

1. Figs. 4 and 5 represent respectively sections on lines w 'zo and y y. Fig. 6 represents a perspective view of a moditication.

A The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in all the drawings.

In carrying out myinvention I provide two stout posts, a a, securely attached to the deck or other fixed part of a vessel. To these posts I pivot at b b a frame, c, which is capable of 4o oscillating on its pivots in a vertical plane. d represents a platform or support pivoted to the frame c at e c, so that it can oscillate at right angles to the plane in which said frame oscillates.` The platform d is `thus enabled to tilt or oscillate in any vertical plane, as will be `readily seen. The frame o is preferably rectangular, and an opening is formed in the platform to receive said frame.

Upon the platform d is supported the berth 5o or other structure, f, which is adapted to slide l l both laterallyand longitudinally on the plat- .Be it known that I, GERARD StoKELs, of

form L by means of a frame or slide, g, interposed between the platform and berth, said slide having rollers h h, running in transverse groovesi t' in the platform, and rollersjj, running in longitudinal grooves 7c k in the bottom of the berth. The slide g, with the berth, runs laterally on the rollers h lt,while the berth runs longitudinally on the rollersjj, the latter rollers projecting into the grooves k k, acting as checks or stops to prevent the berth from moving laterally independently of the slide g.

m represents abar or pin, pivoted at its lower end in a socket, n, in the deck or other lixed part of the vessel, and passing upwardly into a bearing,o,in the berth, at or near the center thereof, and through an intermediate bearing, p, formed in a cross-bar, q, which is rigidly attached to and forms a part ot' the platform d, said bearing p being below the level of the pivots ot' said platform. The bar m can tilt in any direction, and its ofce is to support the berthfand platform d so that said parts will not tip over and will maintain a level position when the vessel is in motion.V

It will be seen that when the deck is inclined the platform and berth, which at first are inclined with the deck, seek to assume a level position.v The connection afforded by the rod m between the berth, the tilting platform,and the deck enables the weight of the berth to assist the tilting platform in asstiming a level position, the berth sliding upon the platform so long as the latter is inclined, and thus eXecuting a leverage on the rod which, acting on the bearing attached to the platform, forces the latter to a level position. The rod m has a ball, o, rigidly attached to its upper end, said ball resting in a socket in the berth. The bearing in the cross-bar of the tilting platform is a ball, s, adapted to turn in a socket in said cross-bar. The bearing in the deck is a hall, t, adapted to turn in a fixed socket in the deck. The rod 'm is adapted to slide in the balls s t,

the latter having a sleeve, t', which prevents 95 the rod from being disengaged from its lower bearing when considerably inclined relatively to the deck. If desired, a berth, f, supported as described, may support another berth, j", above it, as shown in Fig. 6, by means of in- IOO tcrposed standards u n, the ends of which rest in sockets on the berths.

I do not limit my invention to berths, as it is applicable to chairs, tables, and other structures.

I claim- 1. The combination, with the berth and its supporting-platform pivoted to tilt iu any vertical plane, as described, of the rod m, pivoted to the berth at the upper end, to the deck at the lower end, and havingr midway a bearing in the tilting` platform, below the pivots thereof, substantially as and for the purpose specitied.

2. The combination of a platform or support pivoted so as to tilt in any vertical plane, a berth or other structure adapted to slide laterally and longitudinally on said support, and a bar or rod pivoted at one end to a xed part ofthe vessel below the berth, and having at its upper end a bearing in the berth and at its central portion an intermediate bearing in the tilting frame, below the pivots thereof', said parts tto-operating to keep the berth or structure in a level position, as set forth.

3. The combination, with a berth or other structure for use on navigable vessels, of a frame or support on which the berth is adapted to slide longitudinally, and adapted to slide laterally with the berth, a platform supporting said frame and berth and adapted to tiltor oscillate in any direction, and a rod pivoted at one end to the deck or other fixed part of the vessel below the berth, and having,` a bearingr at its other end in the center of the berth, and an intermediate bearing in the tilting platform., as set forth.

ln testimony whereotl have signed my name to this speeilieation, in the presence oftwo subscribing witnesses, this 30th day of December, A. D. 1881.

GERARD SICKELS.

Witnesses:

HARRY B. Woon, C. F. BROWN. 

